Sinbad

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, an animated adventure from the DreamWorks studio, has little connection to the original fables from the Arabian Nights, but it’s an entertaining romp nonetheless. Sinbad (voiced by the midwest vowels of Brad Pitt) gets commissioned by the wicked goddess Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer) to steal a magical book called the Book of Peace from the city of Syracuse—but the prince of Syracuse turns out to be a childhood friend of Sinbad’s. So Eris steals the book herself and frames Sinbad, making the hero sail to the edge of the world to get it back, accompanied by Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman he’s secretly loved for years. The movie skillfully blends hand-drawn and computer images. The storyline is surprisingly well-constructed and actually has some thoughts about friendship and personal fiber, while providing all the swashbuckling, derring-do, and cliffhangers you could want. —Bret Fetzer

Barnes and Noble

While Belle and the Beast’s tale may go far back in time, Sinbad’s is certainly older. It derives from the Arabian Nights, the source of many a memorable screen fantasy, notably the 1947 Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckler Thief of Baghdad and 1958’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, featuring Ray Harryhausen’s magical special effects. Brimming with awesome action, fantastic creatures, and a rogue’s gallery of colorful characters, this rollicking adventure reanimates the Sinbad legend. Brad Pitt heads the voice cast as our mercenary, piratical antihero, who reluctantly embarks on a perilous voyage to retrieve the priceless Book of Peace from Eris (a purring Michelle Pfeiffer), the goddess of discord. Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones gives feisty and forceful voice to Marina, who stows away onboard to make sure the incorrigible Sinbad completes his mission and does not hightail it to Fiji. Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) is the voice of Proteus, Sinbad’s childhood friend and Marina’s fiancé, who selflessly takes Sinbad’s place in prison, allowing the pirate to go after the Book. Pitt hasn’t been this rakishly charming onscreen since Thelma and Louise, and the role seems to put the wind in his sails. The witty, albeit anachronistic, dialogue goes overboard at times (“Who’s bad? Sin-bad”), but most of the time, the animators are wowing us with one spectacular sequence after another, from nasty behemoths to liquid Sirens, the latter luring Sinbad’s men to certain death. Don’t miss the boat on one of the buried treasures of the Summer 2003 movie season. Donald Liebenson